A Short Life But A Merry One

[RichardB]

1843

Dust flues, in the state of perfection to which they have now been brought appear to be capable of greatly diminishing if not of entirely obviating the evil.

Mr Henry Cocker, needle manufacturer, who has expended a large sum of money in perfecting these flues, states that those used by him almost cover the stone, that the needles are applied immediately beneath them; that scarcely a single particle of the dust can reach the grinder, and that he believes that if similar flues were erected at the Sheffield grinding wheels. the injury to health would be entirely obviated.

His flues, at first, carried the dust into the open air and he was twice indicted for the nuisance; it is now carried by means of long flues into a stream which runs past his works.

The Sheffield grinders cannot be induced to avail themselves of this security; they know that they are doomed to an eariy death, yet they are absolutely unwilling that the evil to which they are exposed should in any degree be lessened; they regard every precaution to prolong life with jealousy, as a means of increasing the supply of labour and lowering wages; they are for

"a short life and a merry one"

and hence even when the masters are at the expense of erecting merry expense erecting the apparatus these men refuse to use it, and even frequently kick it down and break it under their feet.

Nothing says Dr Knight can exceed their recklessness of life; they frequently come to witness at about twenty six or twenty seven years old to get cured of the incipient symptoms of their complaint and at this stage it is frequently relieved. On such occasions witness has often warned them,

"Now if you go back to your trade, you go back to die"

This however has never any effect in deterring them from returning to it or from apprenticing their Children to the same fatal trade.

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My Uncle Tom :

It's a short life, but a *** one.

Some b*&&^y *** !